5Cs

Diamond

Guide

5Cs

Diamond

Guide

5Cs

Why are the 5Cs - cut, colour, clarity, carat and certification - important to you? The 5Cs are
used throughout the world to classify the rarity of diamonds. Diamonds with the hightest 5C ratings are
more rare and consequently more valuable.

Light is the element which ignites a diamond's brilliance and fire. The interplay with each of the 5Cs
will help explain why one diamond can appear more beautiful than another. The good news is that you
don't need to buy the rarest diamond to find one that speaks to you.

5Cs

Diamond

Guide

Cut

Refers to the angles and proportions of a diamond.

5Cs

Diamond

Guide

Colour

Refers to the degree to which the diamond is colourless.

5Cs

Diamond

Guide

Clarity

Refers to the presence of inclusions in the diamond.

5Cs

Diamond

Guide

Carat

Refers to the weight of the diamond

5Cs

Diamond

Guide

Certification

A Diamond Certificate is a "blueprint" of a diamond.

Deep Cut

Well Cut

Shallow Cut

Cut

refers to the angles and proportions a skilled craftsman creates in transforming a rough diamond into a
polished diamond. Nature determines so much about a diamond, but it takes a master cutter to reveal the
stone's true brilliance, fire and ultimate beauty. Based on scientific formulas, a well-cut diamond will
internally reflect light from one mirror-like facet to another and disperse and reflect it through the
top of the stone, resulting in a display of brilliance and fire.

Diamonds that are cut too deep or too shallow lose or leak light through the side or bottom, resutling in
less brilliance and ultimately value.

Table

Star Facet

Bezel or Kite Facet

Upper Girdle Facet

Lower Girdle Facet

Pavilion Facet

Culet

Crown

Girdle

Pavilion

Cut

is the only one of the Cs that is influenced by the human hand. The rest (colour, clarity, carat) are
created naturally as diamonds form naturally in the earth. Diamond cutting requires great skill and
training. The cutter must polish tiny surfaces known as facets onto the rough diamond. This process is
what creates the crown, culet, table, girdle and pavillion of the diamond.

The facets, when arranged to precise proportions, will maximise brilliance and sparkle. To cut a diamond
perfectly, a craftsman will often need to cut away more than 50% of the rough diamond.

Round

Marquise

Emerald

Princess

Pear

Oval

Heart

Cut

also refers to the shape of a diamond - round, marquise, pear or heart.

Since a round diamond is symetrical and capable of reflecting nearly all the light that enters, it is the
most brilliant of all diamond shapes and follows the proportion guidleines above.

Shapes other than round do not follow the proportion guidlines shown. Non-round shapes, also known as
"fancy shapes," will have their own guidlines to be considered well-cut.

Cut

and cutting style work in harmony to create the diamond's brilliance. Cutting style is categorised into
three basic types: step-cut, brilliant-cut and mixed-cut. The difference among these three types is the
faceting arrangement of each style.

Colourless
D E F

Near ColourlessG H

White
I J

Very Faint YellowK L M

Faint Yellow
N O P Q R

Light Yellow
S T U …

Colour

refers to the degree to which a diamond is colourless. Diamonds are found in almost every colour of the
rainbow, but white diamonds remain the most popular.

Diamonds are graded on a colour scale established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) which
ranges from D (colourless) to Z. Colour differences are very subtle and it is very difficult to see the
differcene between, say, an E and an F. Therefore colours are graded under controlled lighting
conditions and are compared to a master set for accurancy.

Colourless
D E F

Near ColourlessG H

White
I J

Very Faint YellowK L M

Faint Yellow
N O P Q R

Light Yellow
S T U …

Colour

-less stones (D) are extremely rare and consequently extremely valuable, yet colour ultimately comes down
to personal taste. Ask your Sales Consultant to show you a variety of colour grades next to one another
to help you determine your colour preference.

Colour

Nature has also created diamonds in intense
shades of blue, green, yellow, pink or the rarest of all red. These diamonds are called 'coloured
fancies' and are extremely rare and highly treasured.

Some famous diamonds include the Hope diamond and the De Beers diamond.

Clarity

Inclusions are natural identify characteristics such as minerals or fractures, appearing while diamonds
are formed in the earth. They may look like crystals, clouds or feathers.

To view inclusions, jewellers use a magnifying loupe. This tool allows jewellers to see a diamond at 10x
its actual size. Even with a loupe, inclusions in the VVS (Very,Very Slightly Included to VS (Very
Slightly Included) range can be difficult to find.

4.00

3.00

2.00

1.75

1.50

1.25

1.00

0.75

0.5

0.25

0.10

Carat

refers to the weight of a diamond. Carat is often confused with the size even though it is actually a
measure of weight. Sometimes you might think that the larger diamond appears more brilliant than the
smaller one. This is because light must travel a greater distance through a larger diamond. The result
is a prism effect that your eye registers as more brilliance and fire.

Please note: monitors may vary considerably and carat weight eamples are meant only as an
educational guide.

4.00

3.00

2.00

1.75

1.50

1.25

1.00

0.75

0.5

0.25

0.10

Carat

One carat is equivalent to 200milligrams. One carat can also be divided into 100 "points." A .75 -carat
diamond is the same as a 75-points or 3/4-carat diamond.

Larger diamonds are found relatively infrequently in nature and are therefore more valuable.

4.00

3.00

2.00

1.75

1.50

1.25

1.00

0.75

0.5

0.25

0.10

Carat

A 1-carat diamond costs exactly twice the price of a 1/2-carat diamond, right? Wrong. Since larger
diamonds are found less frequently in nature, a 1-carat diamond will cost much more than twice a
1/2-carat diamond, assuming the colour, clarity and cut remain constant.

Cut and mounting can make a diamond appear much larger or smaller than its actual weight. So shop around
and talk to yor Sales Consultant to find the right diamond and setting to optimise the beauty of your
stone.

4.00

3.00

2.00

1.75

1.50

1.25

1.00

0.75

0.5

0.25

0.10

Carat

The term carat is a derivative of the word carob. Carob seeds are suprisingly similar in weight to one
another, thus were used in ancient civilisations as the reference tool to measure the weight of a
diamond. One carob seed equalled 1-carat.

Certification

To give you extra piece of mind, many diamonds are provided with a Diamond Certification. A Diamond
Certificate is a "blueprint" of a diamond. It tells you the diamond's exact measurements and weight, as
well as details of its cut and quality. It precisely points out all the individual characteristics of
the stone.

Certification

A Diamond Certificate provides a good way to objectively compare the unique physical properties of a
diamond, but the numbers can't describe a diamond's mysterious and captivating beauty. The Diamond
Certifcate should only be a small part of your choice. There is no certificate that will explain why she
loves one ring more than another.